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#musicdiscovery

20 posts17 participants2 posts today
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1001 Other Albums

Self-Titled Summer | Crack the Sky (1975, US)

Our next Self-Titled Summer spotlight is on number 331 on The List, submitted by mfennvt. Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Point of origin(s): Hailing from the industrial town of Weirton, West Virginia, the so-called “Beatles of Baltimore” arose out of a chance meeting between Rick Witkowski, who was working in a music shop, and John Palumbo, who came into said shop and started playing Grand Funk Railroad’s “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)” to try out a bass that was for sale. Finding out that Palumbo was a songwriter in search of a band, Witkowski, then the guitarist in a cover band with drummer Joey D’Amico, invited Palumbo to join their band. Palumbo soon convinced them that they needed to play their own material, and snagged an audition and then development deal with CashWest Productions to form a band. Originally starting as a 10-piece called Words, most of the recruits quit due to the group’s strenuous rehearsals. The Crack the Sky line-up settled as a 5-piece, consisting of Palumbo (on vocals, guitar and keyboards), Witkowski, and D’Amico, plus bassist Joe Macre and guitarist Jim Griffiths (both formerly of local band Sugar).
  • Tasting notes: Prog/art rock inspired by the likes of King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Beatles, and James Brown, with quirky, sarcastic lyrics by Palumbo. To quote Rolling Stone‘s review, published January 1976: “Crack the Sky’s debut introduces a group whose vision of mid-Seventies ennui is original, humorous and polished without seeming too arty…If Palumbo’s lyrics are the latest in Seventies cynicism, their darkness is countered by the light-spiritedness of most of the music.”[1]
  • Standout track: I personally love “I Don’t Have a Tie”. (Note that, unless I’m misinterpreting the lyrics 50 years after the fact, the second track “Surf City” might need a CW for a potential racial slur [and, no, I don’t mean “whitey”].)
  • Where are they now?: Though praised by Rolling Stone as the debut album of the year, the brand new CashWest record label, Lifesong Records, dropped the ball with promoting and distributing the record, with the exception of Baltimore. As such, though the band has since released 19 additional studio albums (the most recent being the 2023 From The Wood) and continues to regularly tour, the band remains relatively unknown outside of Baltimore and the surrounding area; indeed, a search for this band will come up with a few articles titled something to the effect of “the best American prog band you’ve never heard of”.[2] The band has had a few line-up changes in its 50-year run; Palumbo, Witkowski, D’Amico, and Macre are in its current iteration as a 6-piece, along with Bobby Hird (on guitar, joined in the early 80s) and Bill Hubauer (on keys). If you’re in Maryland, you can still catch a few dates on their 50th anniversary tour. And if you can’t make it, perhaps check out their live album just released last month, Live 1st Album: 50th Anniversary, which captures – you guessed it – a live performance of the entire debut album, recorded over three nights of the anniversary tour.
  • Websites: Band website, Wikipedia

Happy listening!

  1. Written by Stephen Holden for Rolling Stone issue 203 (January 1, 1976), quoted here: www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/20-rock-albums-rolling-stone-loved-in-the-1970s-that-you-never-heard-164876/crack-the-sky-crack-the-sky-58391/. ↩︎
  2. E.g.: www.rollingstone.com/feature/crack-the-sky-the-strange-survival-story-of-the-best-u-s-prog-band-youve-never-heard-707669/ and www.progrockguide.com/crack-the-sky. ↩︎
#1970s#artRock#CrackTheSky
Ether Diver

If you like IDM, lo-fi, downtempo, New Age, ambient or other chill electronica, this week's Other People's Music has got some stuff you will want to hear!

etherdiver.com/2025/07/25/opm-

Plus post-punk spiked with pop & cross-generational cross-genre industrial/drone/pop mashups!

@rockmusic
@electronicmusic
@experimentalmusic
@popmusic
@ambientmusic

www.etherdiver.comOPM: New Age No Wave – Ether Diver
#music#Musodon#MusicDiscovery
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The Propaganda Site

Composer, bandleader Darcy James Argue's Secret Society ensemble brings a contemporary classical spin to the big band jazz format, an integral part of the orchestral flavor and the intricate textures that define their sound.

Find out more about their music at thepropagandasite.com/artist/d

Darcy James Argue
the PROPAGANDA siteDarcy James Argue's Secret Society | the PROPAGANDA siteDarcy James Argue is a composer and bandleader whose work with his 18-piece band Secret Society, though anchored strongly in jazz, also regularly crosses boundaries into classical music and, at times, even post-rock. This is music that is built around compositions, arrangements, and precision in delivery and presentation more than musicians keeping it loose and trading improvised solos. This partially what separates this project from the more traditional swing era big bands, and brings it closer to ensemble work, and in some ways, to the Miles Davis/Gil Evans collaborations of the late '50s. Argue's compositions and arrangements are captivating, and the band produces profoundly satisfying music that is highly nuanced, versatile, passionate, and as transformative as any good piece of music can be. 
#music#musicdiscovery#tPsNewEntyr
The Propaganda Site

Americana flavored indie artist Waxahatchee has built a varied songbook that winds its way through intimate folk tunes and gentle pop to bursts of fuzzy rock and country inspired gems.

Find out more about her music at thepropagandasite.com/artist/w

Waxahatchee
the PROPAGANDA siteWaxahatchee | the PROPAGANDA siteWaxahatchee is the moniker for Katie Crutchfield, a singer-songwriter who established herself in Philadelphia as an indie rock artist before she moved to Kansas City and went slightly country. She broke out with American Weekend in 2012, an album of quiet folk songs she recorded solo with an acoustic guitar. Then she embraced the sound and feel of indie pop, gradually adding more punk and indie rock elements into her music, including her return to the fuzz pedal. Her more recent work has taken a turn away from that big sound back to the quiet bedroom folk in 2018's Great Thunder EP and a cleaner, brighter, more country-oriented indie pop in 2020's Saint Cloud.  This new Waxahatchee has a more relaxed and fluid style that brings her raspy voice into the focus more than her previous work did.
#music#musicdiscovery#tPsThrowback
Ether Diver

THANK YOU! WE DID IT! Just 85 days into my Sell 100 Albums in 100 Days, we have achieved our goal! Yesterday's sale at Ampwall tipped us over the threshold to 100 album sales (including full discography sales) since release day.

Check out the album that at least 100 people were willing to pay real money for!

Ampwall:
ampwall.com/a/etherdiver/album

Bandcamp:
etherdiver.bandcamp.com/album/

So...time for some stretch goals?

The Mechanics of Mysticism
ampwall.comThe Mechanics of Mysticism · Ether DiverThe Mechanics of Mysticism - Ether Diver, a 12 track album
#Music#MusicDiscovery#TheMechanicsOfMysticism
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1001 Other Albums

Self-Titled Summer | Coma Rossi (2018, India)

Our next Self-Titled Summer spotlight is on number 953 on The List, submitted by myself (buffyleigh). Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Point of origin(s): Formed in 2014 in Bangalore, India, this is the debut album from the band as a quintet of Tom Borah (vocals, acoustic guitar), Gaurav Govilkar (guitars), Udayan Kashalikar (bass, vocals), Anupam Panda (drums), and Juby Thomas (keyboards, samples).[1] Originally self-released just digitally, it was released on CD by Irish label Progressive Gears in 2019.
  • Tasting notes: Atmospheric prog rock, cinematic soundscapes, hints of shoegaze, harmonized vocals, emotions, a sonic hug
  • Standout track: “Transmission”, though it’s one of those albums where it’s best to listen to the entire thing.
  • Where are they now?: The band made some huge changes after this album. In 2022, all but Govilkar quit. Govilkar then recruited drummer Ada Galen (fka Diane) from the UK, tweaked the direction of the band’s sound to approach post-rock/-metal, and moved to Düsseldorf, Germany in 2023. The band as a duo just released their second album last year, Void, with Govilkar filling the roles of writer and vocalist, as well as providing all instrumentation other than drums. Govilkar is also in the synth-/dream-pop duo Us and I with Bidisha Kesh, formed in 2019 and still active. Galen is an incredibly busy musician involved in many projects, including prog rock bands Prefers to Hide in the Dark (plays drums and keys, debut released 2022) and Chasmhead (vocals and drums, debut released 2024), as well as prog metal band The Great Manta (debut released in 2023).
  • Websites: Bandcamp; Ada Galen’s website

Happy listening!

  1. I’m not entirely sure who provides drums on the album. Discogs credits Panda as does the Rolling Stone India write-up, but the Bandcamp doesn’t mention Panda and lists Bhim Kaul and Shawn Jacob as guest drummers on four tracks. ↩︎
#artRock#ComaRossi#India
The Propaganda Site

Inner Wave's somewhat synthwave inspired breezy psychedelic pop is smooth and chill as it is warm and inviting. IOW a great way to wind down at the end of a rough day.

Find out more about their music at thepropagandasite.com/artist/i

Inner Wave
the PROPAGANDA siteInner Wave | the PROPAGANDA siteOften treading a lightly psychedelic line with a touch of synthwave, Inner Wave plays a woozy type of pop with a strong dreamy drive. Their grooves are chill, swaying gently in an introspective trance that is refined by singer Pablo Sotelo's warm vocals slinking around a haze of reverb. There is certainly a retro appeal to their music, though it may be hard to pin it down exactly in terms of what period of music the nostalgia calls back to. Their songs are melodic without overdoing it, so their vibes very up front and center, likely a deliberate move by the band, given their instrumentation choices and finely calibrated overall sound. Their production style is low-key and relaxed, floating along in a breezy manner. 
#music#musicdiscovery#tPsNewEntry
Ether Diver

Catch up with Other People's Music before tomorrow's new batch. This entry offers a pair of takes on folk, some post-rock/ambient guitar, and two wild (and wildly different!) takes on experimental rock

etherdiver.com/2025/07/18/opm-

Sign up for the newsletter version at the bottom of the post!

@folkmusic
@rockmusic
@experimentalmusic
@ambientmusic

www.etherdiver.comOPM: Palindromic Selection – Ether Diver
#music#MusicDiscovery#musodon
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The Propaganda Site

Mk.gee's blend of indie rock and alt R&B injects a scrappy and choppy feel into an otherwise gentle sound, serving as a vehicle for emotionally raw tunes, as well as some excellent guitar work.

Find out more about his music at thepropagandasite.com/artist/m

Mk.gee
the PROPAGANDA siteMk.gee | the PROPAGANDA siteMk.gee (pronounced "McGee" as stated on his debut album) is singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gordon, who has developed a fluid sound that crosses between indie rock and R&B. In that regard, his music can be evocative of Prince both in spirit and, at times, in stylistic flourishes. There is a funky core to his music along a similar vein, and he loves to play with sonic textures in his songs, though more often than not, he tacks closer to a melodic and gentle variety of rock.  He also happens to be a remarkable guitar player, even though he tends to keep it low-key, with a knack for dropping jazzy passages in the right spots and breaking into imaginative solos that inject his songs with an extra oomph.
#music#musicdiscovery#tPsNewEntry
Ether Diver

My quest for 100 album sales in 100 days is *very close* to completion! And all I need you to do is a) click and give me a listen and b) consider reposting this to expose me to some new ears.

etherdiver.bandcamp.com/album/

Just listen! Then, if you happen to love it, go ahead and buy...

@psychedelicmusic
@electronicmusic
@experimentalmusic

Ether DiverThe Mechanics of Mysticism, by Ether Diver12 track album
#music#MusicDiscovery
Ether Diver

This week's Other People's Music features a pair of folk artists from the Fediverse! First, @jvw delivers a very personal set of original folk tunes, then @barnetboy gives a slightly more modern folk take on some traditional folk music. Around those (from artists outside of Fedi) we have a couple selections of rock experimentalism and a moody lo-fi guitar ambient album. Check it out!

etherdiver.com/2025/07/18/opm-

@folkmusic
@rockmusic
@experimentalmusic
@ambientmusic

#music#MusicDiscovery
Ether Diver

My album has been called "a musical junk drawer of synthesized ephemera" & "the last thirty years as narrated by a possessed MIDI sequencer." Another fan says "such a range of moods and textures ... a vivid world is built."

etherdiver.bandcamp.com/album/

That's gotta make you curious?

@psychedelicmusic
@electronicmusic
@experimentalmusic

Ether DiverThe Mechanics of Mysticism, by Ether Diver12 track album
#music#MusicDiscovery#psychedelia
1001 Other Albums

Self-Titled Summer | Clothilde (1967/2013, France)

Our next Self-Titled Summer spotlight is on number 911 on The List, submitted by arratoon. Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Point of origin(s): “Clothilde” was a stage name/persona briefly worn by Élisabeth Beauvais (b. 1948). The daughter of 50s actress/singer Gisèle Parry and writer/journalist and radio/TV producer Robert Beauvais, at an early age Beauvais was frequently around famous French actors and up-and-coming French pop stars. One day, Germinal Tenas (b. 1947), then an up-and-coming music producer, was at the family house to work on a TV soundtrack with Parry. He had been searching for a French girl to sing his songs, particularly “une fille qui aurait une voix douce et jolie qui dirait en même temps des choses horribles dans un genre détaché” (“a girl with a very soft beautiful voice and who at the same time could say horrible things in a semi-detached way”).[1] The moment he saw Beauvais, without even hearing her voice, he decided she fit the bill, and began to pester Beauvais into agreeing to his project. Beauvais was very reluctant and only at the behest of her mother unwillingly went through with an audition and then contract signing with the Vogue record label. At the time, Beauvais was rather upset about the entire thing, and took every opportunity to let the rather demanding Tenas know that – she was a shy and depressed teenager, she didn’t like the Clothilde persona, the lyrics, or that she had essentially no say in the project, and she had dreams of singing her own music more along the lines of Françoise Hardy, i.e., the direct opposite of Tenas’ vision. Tenas, however, saw Beauvais’ anger and rebellion against him as serving the Clothilde persona, and so he did not bother looking for another singer. In the end, Beauvais recorded two EPs plus an Italian single under the Clothilde name, all in 1967. The s/t album we look at here, put out by Born Bad Records in 2013, compiled those releases, over 45 years later.
  • Tasting notes: French 60s girl pop, anti-YéYé, subversive lyrics full of dark humour and double-entendres, odd instrumentation including musical saws, anti-Françoise Hardy (or, “Françoise Hardy on acid”[2])
  • Standout track: “Saperlipopette”, also “La Vérité, Toute La Vérité” which probably has the best instrumentation (I’m also a sucker for Beauvais’ “hey!”s). Note that the last two songs are Italian versions of tracks 1 and 3; I’m not sure of the quality of Beauvais’ Italian, but I personally prefer “Qualcosa Che Non Va?” to “La Chanson Bête Et Méchante” because the repeating response “hin hin” in the background sounds less creepy than the original French, lol.
  • Where are they now?: Beauvais refused to tour as Clothilde and generally avoided answering calls from Vogue, so the project only lasted one year (the last of a handful of TV appearances was January 1968). Beauvais essentially disappeared from the public eye following the Clothilde project, and wouldn’t record anything else for 15+ years (though these recordings were never released). Tenas continued (and, I believe, continues) to work as a producer and composer. According to the (rather extensive) interview linked below, there are no hard feelings between the two and, at least at the time of the interview (presumably done around the time this compilation was released), they are actually friends.
  • Websites: Interview with Beauvais on Born Bad Records website, Wikipedia

Happy listening!

  1. Tenas quote and translation from: www.bornbadrecords.net/releases/clothilde-queen-of-the-french-swinging-mademoiselle-1967/. ↩︎
  2. Quote from: radioherbetendre.blogspot.com/2013/07/clothilde.html. ↩︎
#1960s#ÉlisabethBeauvais#chanson
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